This App Detects Cancer

Advancements in technology never cease to amaze us, but the DermoScreen is a show stopper. The app can scan moles and lesions to detect whether they are likely to become malignant. Its developers at the University of Houston say it has an 85% accuracy rate.

The iOS app, still in testing, is not available on Apple's App Store just yet. The technology relies on a dermoscope magnifying lens attachment and lighting element that will set you back $500. The development team is working to create less expensive lenses. Until then, you're better off going to a dermatologist if you want to investigate a suspicious mole.

University of Houston researcher George Zouridakis helped develop the DermoScreenapp for detecting melanoma.(Source: University of Houston)

The technology may not be ideal for the average consumer, but developers are considering its use in the developing world, where access to medical professionals and specialists is scarce. Before that dream becomes a reality, more work is required. Professor George Zouridakis (who has been working on the cancer-detecting app since 2005) said the team needs to improve the accuracy rate of the technology, and probably decrease the cost, before it will be ideal for the developing world.

The vision is promising and has gained support from both the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (UT) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). UT has agreed to launch a clinical study of DermoScreen. The NIH has provided Zouridakis with a $412,500 grant to see if the app can also detect Buruli ulcer, a flesh-eating bacteria found in sub-Saharan Africa.

The team's vision is for the technology to be successful in the early detection of melanoma. Though the researchers have their work cut out for them, the future is certainly bright.

The headline for this intrigued me and the app is even more interesting. While these types of technologies that help people self-detect and diagnose medical conditions certainly don't replace going to actual physicians for diagnosis, advice and treatment, they certainly can help us catch potential ailments earlier and go a long way to prevent serious illness or prolong our lives.

The app looks great. It can be further modified to scan the lesions and moles on runtime instead of taking picture of each area of your body and waiting for the response. It would be much faster if they could do it on runtime while we scan our body through it. As far as the availability is concerned, i think it should not be easily accessible to every person, but should be designated only to the medical staff, so that people don't misdiagnose their diseases without going to a proper doctor.

Elizabeth, while the doctor is still important, it is devices like this that will help "filter" patients so that the doctor can concentrate on dealing with the situation. We need to make doctors more efficient and apps like this can bring data to the doctor that is already.

In many cases (but not all), a dermatologist can eyeball a mole for a second or two and know if it's potentially dangerous. So it makes sense that an app like this one might be able to do something similar and, as naperlou, points out, allow the doctor to concentrate on more complex medical issues.

Indeed, Lou, that's exactly what I was thinking with my comment. Apps like this will really help "triage" people in a way, allowing doctors to be more focused on the problem at hand without wasting too much time looking for what's wrong with someone. It is such a worthwhile advancement.

That is a good question, Chuck. And I can understand why it's not a joke. I wonder who would be reponsible in this case. The company that designed the app? The company distributing the app? Interesting to ponder.

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